Posted on 04/16/2009 5:56:48 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Arlen Specter is ready to rumble.
On Tuesday, one day before former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey formally declared his intention to challenge Specter in a 2010 replay of their fierce primary struggle six years earlier, Specter came out swinging.
In an exclusive interview with The American Spectator, Specter, looking fit at 79 from his famous early morning squash matches, stood patiently in a Harrisburg drizzle launching one verbal attack after another at Toomey and the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee that Toomey has served as president since his defeat by Specter. Toomey resigned his leadership post several days ago and announced his candidacy Wednesday morning, April 15th. The five-term Senator made it clear he was more than eager for round two of what was an unexpectedly close primary in 2004, an election in which the tenacious Specter rolled to victory with an unexpectedly close 17,000 vote margin.
"I've been sitting back for the last six years taking insistent criticism from him," Specter said of Toomey. "The campaign is underway and I intend to fire back. It's hardball. Hard hardball."
Without missing a beat, speaking without notes, Specter zeroed in specifically on Toomey and the Club, charging the latter with "cannibalistic tactics" that had lost the GOP control of the US Senate in 2006.
"Toomey represents the Club for Growth which has engaged in cannibalistic tactics. When they fought [now defeated GOP Senator Lincoln] Chafee in the Rhode Island primary, spent all his money, beat him in the general, that cost us control of the Senate. In the Senate…we would have controlled the Senate had we retained Chafee's seat in 2007 and 2008."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
“Who talks like this?”
Someone who has not had to think for 40 years being surrounded by “yes” sycophants.
In short, pretty much all Senators, with a few rare exceptions.
There's a lot of that going around - in my case it's with Rockefeller and Byrd.
I can't decide if this is because Santorum is gutless or because he thinks Specter is done. He (Santorum) did mention that Specter is running behind Toomey in the polling.
I can only wish Specter gets dumped and Toomey gets in just finally prove to the RNC that conservatives ARE electable.
If Santorum, Bush, & Cheney had not endorsed Specter in the primary and campaigned all over this state, Toomey would have won. Now Santorum wants to stay out of it. They should have all stayed out of our primary.
Too bad the liberal media will never call MacSpecter to task and follow up with a "You believe the Senate Republicans would benefit from having a Obama supporter from Rhode Island who openly favors a Democrat Senate, sir?"
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